I saw this yesterday and was very impressed by the whole thing. The cast are terrific and Katherine Kelly was very good indeed. But it was Sophie Thompson who stole the show, she was bloody hilarious! A very enjoyable evening. - Sam
11 Apr 12
Never mind musicals, London is full of comedies at the moment - you would think we're in the middle of a depression! Unfortunately Jamie Lloyd's production of Goldsmith's classic was greeted with almost total stony silence. Part of the problem is that One Man, Two Guvnors has set the bar so high that everyone seemed to be trying much too hard to replicate everything that made Guvnors such a runaway success. There's physical comedy, asides to the audience, the now obligatory musical interludes and performances that strain the limits of coarse acting. Sophie Thompson, at her usual megaphone volume, shamelessly attempts to upstage everyone which quickly becomes tiresome and one of her range of "funny" accents is like an Irish woman washed up in Jamaica. Much better were those who trusted in Goldsmith's text and gave more natural performances, notably John Heffernan and Katherine Kelly. Soap actors are frequently patronised as basically playing versions of themselves but Ms Kelly proves the exception to that rule - she did go to RADA after all. There is a lovely scene change as the country house evolves into a misty wood, but for long stretches She Stoops to Conquer proved to be disappointingly hard work and failed to provide an antidote to all the current gloom and despondency. - David Baxter
16 Mar 12
Very good - another solid hit from the National. I particularly liked David Flynn's turn as Lumpkin, but overall this is a show to treasure. We really are very lucky to have the National Theatre. - addicted to theatre
18 Feb 12
Delightfully frothy, production. Great ensemble, some great physical comedy, and more than anything a very clearly told story (which is a blessing given how convoluted it could have been!). Brilliant turns from John Heffernan and Sophie Thompson. My only criticism of it is that Lloyd seems to have been a little bit scared to use the space of the gigantic Olivier stage and that it all seems to be played like it's on a prosc stage so that 50% of the audience is somewhat ignored 70% of the time (i've noticed this is his previous shows too). However, he does seem to be somewhat a genius in getting brilliant performances out of his actors, so it's a minor inconvenience (which i hope he learns to get better at in the future). - Cassox
18 Feb 12
Considering how old this play is, it is great and funny and this production first class with a great cast. Great to see Katherine Kelly out of her Becky of Corrie accent(though loved her in that)and she plays Kate in the play well and loved Steve Pemberton as the father and of course the great Sophie Thompson as the Mother gives another superb and hilarious performance. Every time she left the stage she got applause--her delivery of the lines are just perfect. A very good play and recommend people to see it if they can - Joe Spiteri
16 Feb 12
Good fun. Comparing it to comedies currently playing, I'd say it's funnier than Noises Off and Ladykillers, but less funny than Comedy of Errors and One Man, Two Guvnors. This is broad comedy. This is pantomime. The fourth wall is breached and the audience are spoken to. And if that sounds like it will annoy you, then it will. And if you like that sort of thing, then you'll like this. It's all a matter of taste. The worst thing about this production is the play itself. The first act is all exposition exposition exposition, blah blah blah. I would have preferred this play to be rewritten by Richard Bean. What is best about this production are the performances. As you'd wish from a pantomime, all the performances are bold and exaggerated and lack the poison of self-consciousness. Reminiscent of the central trio of Blackadder the Third, John Heffernan (Hastings aka Blackadder), Harry-Hadden-Paton (Marlow aka the Prince/ and David Fynn (Lumpkin aka Baldrick) play well off each other. Fynn comes up with cunning plans in the most brazen amusing ways; Hadden-Paton stutters and stumbles yet is lascivious and lewd with equal brio; and Heffernan is intelligent and funny and charming and throwaway, just as you'd wish. Katherine Kelly is like a duck to water, luminous and confident. Cush Jumbo is her equal. But it is Sophie Thompson who proves she is a national treasure of a comedienne, giving the most brash, varied, pompous, strange, accented comic performance of her life. - steveatplays
08 Feb 12
I loved everything about this production – a thing of great joy and a triumphant NT debut for director Jamie Lloyd. It’s the equal of the recent London Assurance on the same stage and for a play that’s almost 250 years old, it’s as fresh as they come.
Oliver Goldsmith’s restoration comedy has always seemed less dated and funnier than its contemporaries, but this is unquestionably the best production I’ve seen. Mark Thompson’s design somehow makes the Olivier more intimate. Most of the time, we’re in the Hardcastle’s living room in front of a huge hearth with a welcoming fire. The scene changes are accompanied by delightful jolly choruses and dances and the one from living room to woods and back is a marvel that takes your breath away. The only thing that isn’t in period is modern gestures, but rather than being incongruous they somehow add to the freshness.
City boy Marlow, accompanied by his friend Hastings, is off to the country to meet his intended Kate Hardcastle. Kate’s step-brother Tony Lumpkin convinces them the Hardcastle home is an inn - cue inappropriate behaviour and an outraged Mr Hardcastle. The tongue-tied Marlow has a stumbling meeting with confident Kate where he can’t even look at her, thus enabling Kate to subsequently pose as a barmaid (she stoops to conquer) and see a very different Marlow.
Running in parallel we have the story of Mrs Hardcastle’s niece and her love of Hastings but betrothal to Lumpkin (Mrs Hardcastle’s son by her first marriage, who doesn’t really want marriage), complete with a mix up over a box of jewels. It’s a riot of confusion with city meets country and rich meet poor providing ample opportunity for satire. The humour is broad so the playing is broad, but it manages to stay the right side of OTT. Of course, it all ends happily with both couples united and parents content.
Harry Hadden-Paton is proving equally adept at drama and comedy and here he’s terrific as Marlow. This may be a career high for John Heffernan, equally terrific as Hastings. It’s hard for Katherine Kelly and Cush Jumbo to play against these comic master classes but they do so very well. I assume there is some sort of exchange programme that resulted in Ian McKellern in Coronation Street in exchange for Kelly in this?! Well, she’s been the best thing about Corrie for years (yes, I’m a fan!) and though it was sad to see her go it’s great to see her cutting it in restoration comedy one week later - and there’s something delicious about the former barmaid at the Rovers Return stooping to conquer as a barmaid! Steve Pemberton and Sophie Thompson are great as the Hardcastles, with the latter giving us another of her over-the-top-and-higher-still performances. I was also hugely impressed by David Fynn as Lumpkin. The ensemble is faultlessly cast and impeccably drilled.
A delightful evening from beginning to end. Miss at your peril. - Gareth James
